Buying a horse back - sort of how much and a bit long sorry

Rowreach

Rowreach

Adjusting my sails
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About 4 years ago I bought a TB/ID 7yo mare from Cavan sales, for about £1,700. She was in very good order, jumping 1.20s, had won open HTs in the south of Ireland (which are not for the faint-hearted) and hunting with the South Dublin. Frankly the reason I think I got her so cheaply was that the person leading her round the ring let her dawdle along and she looked awful!
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Anyway, I sold her on within a fortnight to a riding club type home for £2,500, which I thought was less than her worth, but not bad for a quick return. They kept her for about 18 months and had her at a nearby livery/sj yard, where horses are not looked after terribly well. They decided to sell her, and she was bought locally by a girl who does RC stuff, who paid £3,500 for her, which was probably a bit much at the time.

Well I have never seen such a personality clash as there is between this girl and the horse.
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Her attitude has always been that the horse is in the wrong. Her previous horse was much more easy going and put up with more, but this mare is just being wound up to the point where it simply cannot perform. Her whole demeanour and way of going has changed, she has lost all her muscle because she is always so tense and hollow, she is rushing her jumps (she can only jump up to 90cm now), and she looks plain miserable.
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The girl occasionally comes to me for lessons, but she is one of these people who is impossible to teach, argues with everything you say, and just gets stroppy
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(though she never actually hits the horse). A trainer friend of mine comes over from England on a regular basis, and she has lessons with him - he has tried telling her that unless her attitude changes, her horse never will. Yesterday he rode the horse for her, and it went beautifully for him (well as much as she could given the state of her) - and she still wasn't convinced.

So the upshot of this rant is that I would like to buy the horse back, but don't know how much to offer her. She is now 11, and has effectively done nothing for 4 years. She looks like nothing on earch, would need reschooling, probably after a holiday, and will take a bit of time to turn around again, though I'm sure it can be done.
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I would probably not re-sell her - I think the mare has suffered enough already - but might think about breeding from her (she has Flagmount lines which I like) or maybe letting her go to an approved home. I am not out to make a profit on this, I just would like to do right by the horse.

So what do you think would be a realistic amount to offer, given that I don't want to be cheeky, but nor can I afford a huge amount, and she certainly isn't the horse she was 4 years ago?

Any advice welcome please
 
She doesn't sound like she would be worth much more than you originally paid for her if the girl advertised her on the open market but then the girl may well not realise that. If she sells the horse on she may want to get back what she paid for it
 
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She doesn't sound like she would be worth much more than you originally paid for her if the girl advertised her on the open market but then the girl may well not realise that. If she sells the horse on she may want to get back what she paid for it

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Was thinking the same
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You will probably make a loss on th emare,all comes down to how badly you want her back and how much you have/are prepared to pay for her.
 
Oh I'm sure she wants to sell her - I agree she may think she is worth what she paid, but since she can't "show" her to anyone the way she is going at the moment, I think if she advertised her she might find she is not.
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I think the problem that you will have is that the current owner will want to sell at a decent price to make her money back, you won't want to buy her back for that amount, if she puts her up for sale, someone else may come along and pay maybe a little less than the asking price but more than what you are prepared to pay and then you'll end up losing her again.

Are you prepared to pay more than what she is worth to get her back and give her a good home?

Best of luck to you.
 
I agree she's probably not worth much at the mo but the girl, pig-headed as she seems might well want to make her money back on her... I suppose you'd have to think how much you'd be prepared to make (or even lose!) when you sold her on or if keeping and breeding from her is worth the expense. I hope you get her for a reasonable price! Will you keep us updated?
 
Yes PF I will - she is coming up to use the school tomorrow, so I'm going to have a chat with her then. I would certainly pay more for her than I think she is worth, just to get her out of the situation, but I can't afford "silly money". And I don't want to make money out of her (you can tell I am not very good at being a horse dealer, which is why I don't do it very often!
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) - it just really pains me to see a horse being treated this way. I've just been looking at pictures I took when I bought her, and it's a flipping shame ...
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I'd work on the basis that a horse 'depreciates' in value from 4 years on - UNLESS it has been well trained and showed real potential. It's a matter of how long the horse has left - not just in age terms, but wear and tear on legs, and the fact that even beautifully re-schooled for 12 months it would then be an 'aged' horse.

This horse hasn't appreciated at ALL since this girl bought it - very much the opposite.

On age alone, I would say depreciation could be calculated at LEAST 5% a year between 7 and 11 - and another 5% a year for being screwed up and looking rough. So I would think around the £2,200 mark would be realistic (even generous!) Her potential breeding value doesn't add anything - she is an unknown quantity as a broodmare and - in breeding terms - an 'old' maiden!

Whether she'll sell her for that is a different matter. But if she doesn't get on with the horses she might snatch your hand off to 'get rid'.

I sold a VERY nice 10 year old mare a couple of years ago for £3,000 - she was fit, working nicely, looked stunning! (Also by Flagmount King - and had bred several foals although she'd had a wind op.) Silly woman rode her a few times, chucked her in a field and let her lose all her condition - I bought her back 12 months later for £2,000, and that was generous!! I restored her again and sold her again for £3,000 (and there was no 'profit' in it.!) Thankfully she now has a good home and I doubt she'll ever be sold (and I know the owner would offer her back to me if she HAD to sell her.)
 
Unfortunately it may not be a case of what she is worth but what the girl wants for her. If she know's you want her she could up the price. Wish you all the best with her
 
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